I walked around my apartment, tidying up as I went, tired but unable to really rest. I had too much on my mind, and even as midnight approached, I couldn’t slow down enough to sleep. I reached for my phone and contemplated calling Will. He’d asked me to, but I also didn’t want to come across as needy, even though I missed his presence already.
I put my reservations aside and pulled up his number. He answered after the first ring.
“Olivia.”
“Hi,” I said softly. “Can you talk?”
“Of course. I’ve been watching bad TV for two hours, waiting for you to call.”
I smiled. “Sorry.”
“Don’t be. How was dinner?”
I blew out a breath. “Awkward, to be completely honest.”
“I rely on your honesty.”
I didn’t reply, because I worried he was talking about what happened between Ian and me that morning. A wave of heat rushed over me, embarrassment mixing with the lust-fueled memory.
“I can’t stop thinking about this morning,” I said finally, because something felt unresolved about all of it. I wanted to get past it and move on, one way or the other.
He hummed quietly on the other end. “Me neither. I’d love a repeat performance tomorrow.”
I smiled again, warming further at the memory of his mouth on me, licking me straight into one of the most incredible orgasms of my life. “I meant…before that.”
He was silent a moment. “Ian?”
I nodded, even knowing he couldn’t see me. “What would you have done if he’d kissed me? Tell me the truth.”
“I would have laid you out on the island and eaten you like my last meal, same as I did this morning.”
“I know we’re not exclusive—”
“We are.” The abrupt way he said it left no doubt. “I’d planned to tell you once we passed the trial run. But I swear to God, if you let someone else into that luscious body while we’re together, I won’t be held responsible for my actions.”
“Okay, but if that’s what you want, why don’t you care that Ian…” What could I say? Came on to me, put his hands on me…
“Because things are different with him.” His voice was low, like he was confessing a dark secret.
“Explain that.”
“This is really something we should talk about in person. If you come over, I can explain.”
I hesitated, gauging my energy for a late-night ride to his place.
“Right after I take advantage of you, of course,” he continued. “Savagely and repeatedly.”
His was a tempting offer. Not only was I burning with curiosity, I was already craving his company. But that could be another scenario that didn’t leave me time to think. His lack of concern when it came to the attraction between Ian and me was troubling, and I was compelled to get to the bottom of it.
“Just tell me, Will. I can handle it.”
“I’d hoped to spend a little more time with you before this came up.” He sighed, and more seconds passed. “I told you I don’t do relationships, Olivia.”
My heart sank a little, even though he’d been perfectly clear on those terms. Was I already starting to care more than I should? I waited, hopeful and anxious at once about what he wanted to tell me.
“Ian and I have similar tastes when it comes to women.”
“And…”
“And sometimes we share them.”
My heart fell, landing like a cold stone in my stomach. Any latent hope I’d had about getting to know Will better, about exploring our chemistry and wondering if it could possibly go anywhere, shattered. If my thoughts had been a jumble before, they were a whirlwind now.
“Talk to me, Olivia.”
I searched for words, but it seemed like he’d said them all. “I don’t know what to say. I don’t think I’m what you want—”
“You’re what I want, okay? It sounds complicated, but it doesn’t have to be. This is why I wanted to talk about this in person. I can already hear you freaking out, and that’s not what I want.”
I rose to my feet and started pacing around my room. “How am I supposed to respond to this? What do you want from me?”
“I want you, Olivia. No one else exists for me right now.”
“Right now.” I couldn’t hide the uneasy tone in my voice. Who knew what tomorrow would bring…
“I haven’t been exclusive with anyone for a very long time.”
“And sharing me with your roommate counts as exclusivity?”
“I want you for myself, and I trust Ian to be with you if that’s what you both want. But he’s the only exception.”
“This is completely insane. Do you realize that?”
“If three consenting adults choose to spend time together—intimately or otherwise—I don’t see that as insane or deviant or whatever else you want to label it. You want to spend your life playing by someone else’s rules, go ahead, but I call that a waste of time.”
He’d cut me off at the knees with that last comment, and I struggled for a reply.